The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-10-28
Friday, Oct. %, 1857.
The Pride of Consistency.

exposing more plainly its weakness.
We conceive it wholly impossible for
intelligent people not to perceive that
prohibition laws are proving the most
effectual of any effort that has ever
been put forth to stay the evil of rum
drinking Those who sat up vigor-
GUS opposition to outlawing the traffic
in whiskey, and have not the courage
to own they were at fault in their
judgement. sill, for consistency's sake
apparently, make feeble efforts to deny
a fact which is so manifest that we
would have to question their common
sense at the expense of their veracity
in supposing they don't belive it.
There is nothing which those friends
of grog traffic utter which exposes their
shallow defense of the business more
than their attempts to make the pub
lie believe they think the support of
prohibition laws is fanatacism. 1t
would be quite as sensible and near the
truth 10 proclaim that company of
men exerting themselves to the ut.
most to eXtinguish the flames of a
burning house were fanatics; and it is
very encouraging sign to see that the
public regard their CRY of fanatics just
about as sensible and truthful when
applied to prohibitionists as though it
were used against the firemen.
Tn its efforts to find a firm spot to
stand on in this quick-sand the Democrat
says: ut is not our purpose, and moth
ing but an Incorporate perversion of
what we have eyer said can construe it
to be our purpose, to advocate dram
drinking"
This is not the issue at all. 1t is not
"dram .drinking'' YOU are blamed with
advocating. Will the whiskey papers
nerer get this fact through their hair?
1t is dram selling that you are upbraided
for advocating. Dram selling! Now
please don't forget this. 1t is growing
monotonous telling you folks this so
often. This very dear ''personal lib
erty" to get as drunk as lord, which
you folks appear to value so highly is
not denied to you by any prohibition
and local-option law in any state, in
any county or any town in the United
states where such laws exist. These
laws merely say you shall not sell the
drains to others. 1t is deplorable and
pitiable to see people drinking and
drunk, and it is only municipal laws
which interfere with this glorious
personal liberty" Those petty town
laws lock you up and fine you for en-
joying this personal liberty too freely
and yet we have never heard one of
you denounce these contemp tible little
corporation laws, Why don't you call
down the wrath of an outraged people
upon them, in place of bearing false
witness against prohibition laws?
"We do not" continues the Democrat,
ssbelieve that 2prohibition legislation is
an adequate or proper remedy for the
evils of dram-drinking. We have said
as much often enough and plain
enough to have it understood"
No one has ever denied that you have
said it very often. But hardly any
body believes you; and as small in
numbers as your believers were in the
beginning, they grow beautifully less
every year, and if you keep this thing
up while longer, like the last rose of
summer you'll be left blooming alone
with youthful companians all faded
and gone-somewhere else to enjoy
personal liberty" of getting drunk
without keeping demjon at home
for wives to frown on and sigh
over. We quote again: meanwhile,
the indisputable fact stands that, with
hundreds of violations of the law every
day, with bar-rooms scarcely trying to
conceal the signals of their calling,
with peripatetic runrsellers in every
bypath etc.
If this declaration is true then the
editor of the Democrat is the very man
to bring to the book when court meets.
He must know that what is here publish.
ed is true or he would not state it in
the most positive and unqualified
manner. With this kind of evi lence
and jury whose members haye more
regard for their oaths than for the
whiskey traffic. the House of Corree-
ton might be filled from Cecil county
before New Year, if the "peripatetics"
are numerous as the Democrat says they
are.
This picture is intended to portray
perfect Bacchanalian orgie constantly
in progress all over Cecil county-for
this is what a stranger, simple enough
to believe it, would infer from reading
the article above quoted. But what is
the fact? When the circuit court meets
there is the greatest CONSERVATION and
scampering among this great army of
''peripatetic rumsellers." Some flee to
Pennsylvania and Delaware, others
hide in the woods and hills, and gar
rets. Probably a score would number
these hosts of "peripatetic rumsellers"
who make Cecil county blind drunk
every day in the year, and the advo-
Gates of rumselling shout oyer like the
silver smiths of Ephesus, who answer
ed Paul's better doctrine by bawling
themselves hoarse. crying Great is
Diana of the Ephesians" There is
about as much merit in high license as
there was in the goddess Diana, aud it
is invoked for the same purpose; to fill
the pockets of few by debauching the
public.
The prohibition law of this county
has been in force less than year, and
where do we find these "bar-rooms
scarcely trying to conceal the signals?"
A single instance can be cited, that of
Confer. When the day of reckoning
came, what do we see? A terrified flu
gitive flying from the Sheriff, trying to